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Centre Should Rescue Farmers : Sonia Gandhi

BANGALORE: On a visit to the families of farmers who had committed suicide in Kanakpura and Ramanagaram taluks in Bangalore Rural district, the Congress president, Smt. Sonia Gandhi, said on September 30 that the Centre must come to the rescue of the farmers and heed to the pleas of the State on drought relief. She said the State Govt's special package for farmers to the tune of Rs. 850 crore would alleviate their problems to some extent.

The compensation of Rs. One lakh, which the State Govt. was giving to each of the families, would help to a certain extent. The Centre, she remarked, was not doing enough to help the farmers in this moment of distress.

The need of the hour was to bring down the suicidal trend and both the Govts., she said, had to find the reasons driving the farmers to such desperate measures. She presented a cheque for Rs. One lakh to the family of Ramakrishnaiah and advised Ramakrishnaiah's wife, Jayamma, to deposit the money in a bank. In Chikkanadoddi she gave a cheque for Rs. 25,000 from the Congress Party Fund to the family of Puttaswamy Gowda.

Smt. Gandhi visited a farmer's house at Anedoddi in Kanakapura taluk and handed over Rs. one lakh to the wife of Chikkananjaiah who had committed suicide. The villagers said that erratic monsoon and pollution of water were the main causes for crop failure in their villages. Of the 130 borewells in Chikkenahalli, only 19 were functioning, they said.

The Chief Minister, Shri S.M. Krishna, the AICC general secretary, Vayalar Ravi, the AICC leader, Smt. Ambika Soni, the Ministers, Shri D.K. Shivakumar and the KPCC president, Shri B. Janardhana Poojary, accompanied Smt. Gandhi during her visit to the villages.

OBITUARY DEEP Chand Bandhu Passes Away NEW DELHI: Delhi's Minister for Industries and Environment, Shri Deep Chand Bandhu, died here on September 7 after a prolonged illness. He was cremated with full state honours. The body was placed in the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee office for people to pay their homage. He was 72. He is survived by his wife and two sons. Lahtan Chaudhary Passes Away NEW DELHI: Congress President, Smt. Sonia Gandhi has expressed condolence on the death of veteran Congress leader and former president of the Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee, Shri Lahtan Chaudhary, who died here on 2 September. Smt. Gandhi also paid floral tributes on the body of the departed leader, when his body was brought to AICC office on 24, Akbar Road